Dreams...Tears...and Smiles!

I woke this morning with my pillow wet from tears. Oh how I miss my grandparents!! I dreamt of them while I was sleeping and woke up feeling that happy yet sad feeling. That feeling that gives you a smile and yet your heart is super heavy. My little brother has a 6 month old baby and another baby on the way, and I dreamt that my Grandmother phoned me and asked if I would have him and the babies meet her at their house on Christmas Eve. Yes, in my dream my brother and his wife have had their second baby already and my Grandparents home had not yet sold. Upon arriving my Grandmother was dressed as Mrs. Clause and my Grandfather was in a Santa Suit. This brought back a FLOOD of childhood memories and I can only guess that I dreamt this because they were letting us know that they are keeping a close eye on our growing family from above and wanted to make sure we knew that they have indeed seen the new arrivals. Who knows...maybe Granny gave God the "Go Ahead" on this much UNexpected pregnancy lol and has seen this new baby even before we have...that thought makes me laugh! This dream comes after a very heartfelt prayer to the good Lord to give a family that lost their son just a year ago today a dream. I know if my heart is this heavy today that theirs has to feel as if it is weighed down with concrete sacks. I am however feeling better now....I think tears have a way of cleansing the soul and soothing the spirit! My tears have been wiped away and a smile is permanently placed on my face. I am thankful for the dream and look forward to the next!

What is the true meaning of a BLESSING?

Good Morning!! What a gorgeous morning it is! A cool 55 degrees and man does it have the soul feeling good and refreshed!!!! I hadn't planned on blogging quite so early this morning, but my heart was leading me to, so here I go! I was thinking how often I use the word BLESSED and began to wonder if my own children truly understand what that word REALLY means. Do they think that it’s a word that defines a gift given to them, or something you receive after making an offering to someone or something? I believe a blessing is a way for God to work through someone. In Ephesians 3:20, it says that God can do more amazing things than anyone can hope to do on their own. This is interpreted as being part of what a blessing is about. Though someone can pray for a blessing, that doesn't mean they will receive it. James 1:17 states, "Every good gift and every perfect present comes from heaven; it comes down from God..." I interrupt this as meaning that if someone isn't ready for the situation involving the blessing they pray for, they will not receive it. After all, NOT ALL GIFTS or offerings are considered a "BLESSING"...God looks at the HEART of a person who is giving and also at the heart of the person who is receiving. Have you ever given something from your heart to someone and felt that they didn't receive it in the manner in which you had hoped? Did you feel let down or upset over it? If you have, you’re not alone. I too have had this feeling BUT I never allowed it to discourage me from doing it again and again and again. I believe that when this occurs your heart isn’t truly in the right place for your act to be considered a blessing. It was however an act of kindness. Don't get me wrong, all acts of kindness are special and your soul is in the right place, but we must get our spirit in that same place. When you give something, you should WANT to give no matter the outcome. When your heart, soul, and spirit are ALL aligned and you present the gift then the minute it leaves your hands you should feel FULL. How the person takes and receives the gift is their choosing. They can either accept it and receive a BLESSING with the gift or take it and only get what lies in their presence. When I say my life is BLESSED, what I am saying is that I have received what the Good Lord has given me and I don't just accept it but I am GRATEFUL for it....I would hope that I receive it as a BLESSING. My husband, children, family and friends are all BLESSINGS in my life! I have to always remind myself that NOT all blessings are realized from the recipient right away. I can remember things that I myself was given and it didn't mean as much to me as it does now. Blessings that are given sometimes are merely seeds that you have planted and over the years they might just begin to grow. Well I guess I will close there so that I can go and enjoy this beautiful morning! May you all have a BLESSED day or night depending on when infact you read this!=)

Blessed Weekend!

I am currently blogging from the comfort of my yard---YES, I indeed said comfort and yard in the same sentence. lol For the first time in a long time the wind is blowing a nice gentle breeze from the North. There are no mosquitoes to swat at, sweat to wipe, or gnats to prevent from flying up my nose. Sky and Kody are off doing their own thing (studying I believe), Trevor and Glenn are attending an officers meeting, and Peyton is within eye distance, dove hunting. I'm taking total advantage of my "quiet" time. Okay so as I type that part, Peyton shoots the gun and it echoes off the barn and scares me to death! Guess that’s God's sense of humor. lol.. Anyways, I am so happy with this weekend! Yesterday the entire family woke early to leave for the deer lease. We hiked trails, and rode our ranger up huge mountains, fished and just relaxed the ENTIRE DAY! Something about being in the middle of a 1000 acre ranch with nothing but nature and your family brings a sense of comfort, and total calmness to your spirit. I find that it is important that everyone find what brings their family such happiness and make sure they dedicate time to relish the moments of it. Life gets so crazy with the everyday tasks, jobs, running kids, and SCHEDULES that we lose focus on the IMPORTANT THINGS IN LIFE. Now today we make up for yesterdays play day. lol. We woke to a busy morning...With me doing laundry, starting a roast for dinner and picking up the house, Skylar dusting and vacuuming, Trevor and Peyton cleaning and preparing the turkey pens, Kody off to help the grandparents move some heavy things, and Glenn mowing and edging the yard, and ALL THIS COMPLETE BY 1pm. WHAT A SUCCESSFUL DAY! BUT, the most wonderful part of today had to be my family joining me bright and early with their own Bibles in hand ready to study what it was that I had prepared for my "devotional" time this morning. My heart was dancing as they interacted and spoke over Ecclesiastes 4:13-12:14. It was a great "Group" study. Now we are all relaxing doing our own things and are planning to meet up again @5 pm for mass and then supper. My life feels full at the moment and I hope my entire family feels as BLESSED as I do!
FISHING FUN

Riding the ranger around...cant you tell they were so enthused about me stopping to take a picture! lol What you cannot see is Skylar and Kody behind the ranger on 4 wheelers!

Changes are in the air!

Things have been way too serious on my blog lately so I have decided to lighten it up a bit! So with Fall starting 2 days ago…I figured I would blog about FALL! And as much as I loved our summer and the wonderful sunshine and hot weather, I am excited about the change in the season. I love when the leaves start to fall and all our favorite comfort foods fill our home with a warm aroma. I look forward to my new fall "Scentsy" scents and decorating in pumpkins and leaves. I am also looking forward to re-stuffing "Stuffy" our scarecrow. Here are a few more of my favorite things that I am looking forward to about FALL!!!

1. The changes in the temps and the brisker evening air
2. The beautiful deeper, darker, purples, oranges, and yellows!
3. The memories that Fall brings to mind…it's the season I fell in love and got married!
4. The decorations
5. The excitement of the upcoming HOLIDAY SEASON
6. Dove season (Don't hate..I married and raised country boys)
7. CANDY CORN
8. The smells of fall (Pumpkin spice in the house and burning leaves outside)
9. "It's a GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN"
10. Trips to the deer lease!
11. Pumpkin carving
12. Our Church Fall Festival
13. Sunflowers
14. Trick or Treaters!
15. My back to school quiet mornings!
16. Bonfires
17. Candied apples
18. Hay Rides! (Miss the days that Glenn would make awesome ones for the kids)

Okay now that I have filled you with useless information...HOW ABOUT A YUMMY RECIPE!? It's been awhile since I blogged a good one and with October weather right around the corner it has inspired me to try a new fall chili! So as a tribute to the change in season and the start of fall (I know I am a bit early and I sure wish Mother Nature would get on board), I plan to make Pumpkin Chili for dinner next week. If you decide to try it, let me know what you thought!! Enjoy! And Happy Fall!

Pumpkin Chili


2 lbs ground beef
1 large onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
3(15oz) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 (15oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (48oz) tomato juice
1 (28oz) peeled and diced tomatoes
1/2 cup (15oz) canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup white sugar
1TB pumpkin pie spice
1TB chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1-2tsp cayenne pepper (depending on preference)
Cook beef. Stir in the onion and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in beans, juice, tomatoes, and pumpkin puree. Add sugar and spices. Simmer for one hour.
Some people let it simmer longer and they say it is good the first night, but even better the next.

A glance into my morning "ME TIME" and a little more =)

The inspiration for this post is some really sweet comments that have been left on my facebook lately. I have gotten some undeserved compliments. Don't get me wrong however I appreciate them immensely. But, I must come clean!--I tend to blog about the happy things in my day, the fun, the inspiring, and the beautiful.

And while I do love my life and my family so very much, my life is not perfect. I strive daily to become a better Christian and to practice what I try to instill in my children but it's not always easy. I have to make a conscience effort every morning to devote "quiet" time to be one on one with Lord and the best way to do that is with his word. This helps set the pace for my day. If I have a crazy hectic morning and all I can do is devote radio time to his music when I am getting ready then that’s exactly what I do. BUT I MAKE SURE THAT I LET HIM KNOW THAT HE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN MY LIFE and he comes BEFORE anything else. I treat the Lord like I want him to ALWAYS TREAT ME. I sure hope this makes since and I am not sounding like a crazy person . LOL

I have mentioned in previous posts that I am aware how annoyingly LOUD I can be and a little over the top for some friends BUT, I am ME and I feel that a if I remain true to myself and love God... that is all anyone can ask of someone. I guess what I am trying to explain on this blog is that I don't deserve the compliments my sweet friends have given me.....GOD deserves them. I am forever a work in progress and being led by his word.

I have a picture that hangs in my living room as a reminder to me and my family and I hope that I practice it daily even when I feel as if the entire world is caving in. It reads "I will show thee my faith by my works". I have found that doing God's works brings my life such JOY and such a huge SATISFING feeling that I cannot imagine NOT teaching this to my children. I refuse to ever give up HOPE that others can lead our youth into a better world by leading with example! I learned early on to follow my heart because my head will only lead me astray. That is exactly what HOPE is...it is the ability to see with your heart when you cannot see it with your eyes.

I am still practicing and learning something I read today...that my family and friends are free to be them, I am free to be me and together we are free to be "US" as long as we are practicing our Faith.

If my blog is nothing more than a place my family can go to years from now when I am no longer around to help them learn the HARD lessons of LIFE, if they find it to be spiritually refreshing, and if it helps them to know that BLESSINGS come from above and begin with a prayer... then I feel this blog has done it's job and that the good Lord has used my life for a purpose.

OH HAPPY DAY!

Tick tock..Tick tock..Tick tock...I am sure you get the picture (and yes that is the sound of the wall clock that drives so many of my friends nuts lol)! Waiting on results from the doctor can be one of the hardest and longest waits ever! Let me explain my small dilemma. I went to the doctor for an Echocardiogram of my heart after a random EKG showed some minor glitches. MINOR GLITCHES?? They assured me that this could merely be just a problem with the machine and happens often. But to be on the safe side they wanted me to have one done within the month. HUH? We went from "MINOR GLITCH" to having an "ECHOGRAM"! Fine, for peace of mind I set up my Echocardiogram for the following month and before leaving the office I do some routine blood work. The morning came and I met with the technician who would be performing the test. I was a NERVOUS WRECK, he assures me in a jokingly manner after applying the wires that I INDEED have a heartbeat....WELL I WOULD GUESS SO, HE WOULDN'T EVEN NEED THE WIRES OR MACHINE TO SEE THAT! He only had to see the pulsating vein in my neck! lol Okay, so now I am laying on this table and he begins the test, he is making no facial expressions and has already warned me that I would have to wait for the cardiologist to read me the results, but it would be 2 days. OH HECK NO!! This was a Friday, and I needed some reassurance that my heart wasn't going to STOP on me the second I pulled away from the office! As he is examining the pictures of my heart on the screen I feel compelled to ask him "So uh, you think you could tell me if there is something that the doctor might find alarming?" He assures me that to him my heart appears "BEAUTIFUL"! YESSSSS!!! I told him that with that one word, he had made a friend for life! lol. So I get dressed leave the doctor’s office and am feeling confident for awesome results on Monday. So now it's Monday and I bounce into my doctors office prepared to hear "Beautiful heart” again and indeed he says that my heart was in normal range for a person my age. I explained to him that I would rather him have brought in the technician to tell me the findings since he worded things much better! lol He laughed and assured me that these were great test results, HOWEVER.....Oh gosh not the HOWEVER! He continues, however, your blood results have come back not so great. Okay now I am thinking the lecture is coming regarding my cholesterol being to high and that I must control my diet better, AND I AM NOW THANKING GOD that I have not allowed Glenn to come in with me. lol..But what he says shocks me! His next words were “your cholesterol levels are wonderful but we are concerned with your White Blood Cell count that appears to be under the normal range and that your Platelets are EXTREMELY LOW”. Now relieved that my cholesterol levels are great, I am unsure what it means to have low white blood cells. So I ask if this was reason to be alarmed and he responds with "Not yet, let’s retest in a week and go from there"! Okay anyone who knows me has to know that "NOT YET" is only going to raise my level of concern and give me absolutely NO COMFORT! So here I go again, he wants me to fill up on vegetables and vitamins and come in for another blood sample in a week. GEEZ this is asking A LOT for an impatient person! I inform him that I am not happy with his Month here, 2 days there, and now a week! lol. So I go home and the family and I pray that the next set of results are more promising and hopefully our lives can go back to normal, whatever normal may be! lol.

Okay 9:50 a.m. and the phone rings! Results are in! I indeed scored better on my platelets and my WBC counts were elevated! Elevated enough that he felt sending me to see a hematologist was not necessary! My Hemoglobin levels were still low but so was my iron. He is putting me on a good iron pill, eat lots of broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach and come back in 4 weeks to see if we have the levels right were they should be!!!! WOOO HOOOO!!!! I felt like a kid who just scored a “B” after retaking a test they had just failed! LOL. So today is a GOOD DAY, and A NEW MORNING FOR ME! Glenn is on his way home after being gone for 5 days, my family and I are healthy, and for now I am feeling elated and super blessed. Who knows what tomorrow or next week will bring, right now is all that matters! And I am going to take ADVANTAGE OF IT! Thank you friends and family who have prayed for me, and yes not everybody knew to pray…I figured I would save those prayers for when I REALLY NEEDED them! LOL

A note to WOMEN!

As I sit here with Nora Jones softly playing in the background I feel the overwhelming urge to blog. Now please don’t take this blog as a “Pity Shannon PLEA” lol….I hope you read it and think of yourself, your Mom, your daughter, your sister or your friend! Yesterday was a very tiring and trying day, mostly mentally. Sleepless nights with worry as it seems I am going to the doctors every week trying my best to get a CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH lol but each time I go they decide they need to run another test. (Praying that “Clean bill of Health” phone call comes tomorrow) So my day began with me running to give yet another blood sample to my doctor, then rushing to get my son Trevor to his appointment( appears he somehow scratched his Cornea, poor guy)then to the pharmacy and a quick trip to the grocery store. In the back of my mind I knew I still needed to cook dinner for a friend who has had surgery and I needed to get the house cleaned up for a Scentsy party that I committed to prior to knowing my life was about to take a hectic detour lol. But with WHAT ENERGY! With Glenn out of town and little sleep, I honestly felt like I could crawl onto a bed of nails and sleep like a baby. My children and even my adopted one (Kody) step up and help me so much and they are appreciated more than they will ever know! With their help the day turned out GREAT! The party was a HUGE success and I am hoping the friend’s dinner was too. As I crawled into bed I laid there thinking about what amazing people women are! Most of us don’t give ourselves enough credit for what we are capable of pulling off, or how we internally carry so much worry and stress of not only our lives but other peoples as well. I read the following that my friend sent me and I decided to add a few lines of my own and post it for all us EXTRORDINARY WOMEN!

Women have strengths that AMAZE men.....

They bear hardships and they carry burdens,

but they hold happiness, love and joy.

They smile when they want to scream.

They sing when they want to cry.

They cry when they are happy

and laugh when they are nervous.

They fight for what they believe in..

They stand up to injustice.

They don't take "no" for an answer

when they believe there is a better solution.

They go without so their family can have.

They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.

They love unconditionally.

They cry when their children excel

and cheer when their friends get awards.

They are happy when they hear about

a birth or a wedding.

Their hearts break when they know others are hurting.

They grieve at the loss of a family member,

yet they are strong when they

think there is no strength left.

They know that a hug and a kiss

can heal a broken heart.

Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.

They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you

to show how much they care about you.

The heart of a woman is what

makes the world keep turning.

They bring joy, hope and love.

They have compassion and ideas.

They pray for not only their families
But for any family who needs them.

Women have vital things to say

and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN,

IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.


So, Here's to good women--

May we know them.

May we be them.

May we raise them.

A Promise to God

WOW has it been a really long time since I blogged! With so much going on in my life I have failed to keep up! My last post was in November and I had mentioned that I was forming a community Christmas charity event. I had no idea that Gods vision was much larger than mine, but it didn’t take me long to see what exactly he had in mind. Listening and following Gods word led me to our new non- profit organization the "LV Angels"! It was started in December and boy does it keep me busy! Some wonder "Why"! Why did Shannon suddenly begin to speak out and decide to venture into something so demanding? Let me briefly explain why. This blog began shortly after I almost lost someone extremely important in my life Sept of 2008 and I made a promise that I will forever keep! I never shared these words with anyone before now but I feel that to truly understand my story I must share them with you…so this is kind of how it went, "God, if you can spare my brother's life and make him whole again, I will forever seek, follow, and do your work here on earth". Now I know that bargaining with God isn't right, but at that moment in my life, that is all I had and I was willing to negotiate a deal. I also know that my brother survived his ordeal because it was God's Will and not because it was mine. But, never the less I had made a promise and it was a promise to the Lord that forever changed my life! At this time I was also forming an ever lasting and life changing friendship with Mrs. Tesi Pugh! I truly believe that God doesn't give you the people you want but he gives you the people you need. And, although I didn't realize it, I NEEDED Tesi and her beautiful friendship! You see, I was always a proud Christian but never a loud one. I mean, my husband and children knew my love of the Lord but my friends only saw me as this Loud, Cheerful, and funny friend. So I was scared with how they would suddenly take my vocal voice speaking out on Gods word, BUT this was my promise and I knew I had to somehow dig deep and humble myself to the critics in my life. Tesi taught me that promise or no promise, critics or no critics that speaking out about God was something I should be proud of and not something to hide as if ashamed! I am forever grateful for that life changing lesson! So began my journey~ my journey into sharing and enjoying Gods Words! The LV Angels was formed and with it came some VERY important people, some that were only with me a few months but that impacted my life in such a way that I will never ever go back to "hiding" my love of God. Does that Shannon prior to September 8, 2008 exist....HECK YES! I am still that bubbly, overly loud, excited about life, talks way to much (and way to fast), enjoys her wine, and her friends type of person! I am just OPENLY THANKFUL TO THE LORD now too! I hope our new organization the “LV Angels” gives others just that…HOPE! I pray everyone who takes part in this new adventure has an awakening in their hearts to loving and seeing the brighter side of life, people and the true BLESSING of the LORDS LOVE! As I close, I promise to my followers (if indeed there are some other than my family lol) that it wont take me as long before my next blog! Love you all!